Avalon Waterways
Avalon Illumination
- Cruises
- 56
- From
- $2,406
Ship comparison
Avalon Illumination vs S.S. Helen
Uniworld River Cruises
S.S. Helen
- Cruises
- 0
- From
- —
The verdict
Which should you choose?
Avalon Illumination is an intimate Avalon Waterways ship carrying 166 passengers, in service since 2014. S.S. Helen is an intimate Uniworld River Cruises ship carrying 154 passengers.
Choose Avalon Illumination if you want a more active cruise, a more family-friendly ship or more cruises to choose from: it outscores S.S. Helen for active (7.0 vs 5.5) and family friendly (4.0 vs 3.0) in Cruiseable’s Bliss scores and it has 56 cruises on sale (vs none).
Choose S.S. Helen if you want better-rated dining, more adventure and nature or more culture: it outscores Avalon Illumination for dining (8.5 vs 7.0), adventure & nature (4.5 vs 3.0) and cultural (9.3 vs 8.0) in Cruiseable’s Bliss scores.
Side by side
Specifications
marks the better figure where more, or less, is plainly better.
| Avalon Illumination | S.S. Helen | |
|---|---|---|
| Cruise line | Avalon Waterways | Uniworld River Cruises |
| Ship size | Intimate | Intimate |
| Maiden voyagenewer highlighted | 2014 | — |
| Gross tonnage | 5,000 | 5,000 |
| Passengers | 166 | 154 |
| Crew | 47 | 57 |
| Passengers per crew memberfewer is better | 3.5 | 2.7 (better) |
| Space per passengergross tons per passenger; more is roomier | 30.1 | 32.5 (better) |
| Decks | 4 | 4 |
| Length | 361 ft | 443 ft |
| Beam | 37 ft | 39 ft |
| Speed | 9 mph | 14 mph |
| Cruiseable ratingout of 10 | 8 / 10 | 9 / 10 (better) |
| Cruises on sale | 56 | — |
| Upcoming sailings | 216 | — |
| Cruise lengths | 4–24 nights | — |
| Fares fromlower highlighted | $2,406 | — |
Bliss scores
How they rate, out of 10
Cruiseable rates ships out of 10 on ten parts of a cruise holiday. Avalon Illumination leads on 4 of the ten, S.S. Helen on 5, with 1 level.
- Active
- Adventure & nature
- Cultural
- Dining
- Entertainment
- Family friendly
- Party
- Romantic
- Spa & fitness
- Staterooms
Avalon Waterways
Avalon Illumination
There’s both serenity and a measure of adventure when cruising Central Europe’s famed waterways aboard Avalon Illumination.
Highlights
- Wall-to-Wall Panoramic Windows
- Sky Deck with premium lounge chairs
- Panorama bistro
- Expanded fitness center
Sailing now
56 cruises on sale, from $2,406.
About Avalon Illumination Plan my cruise on Avalon Illumination
Uniworld River Cruises
S.S. Helen
Questions
Avalon Illumination or S.S. Helen?
Which is bigger, Avalon Illumination or S.S. Helen?
They are the same size, 5,000 gross tons each. Avalon Illumination carries 166 passengers and S.S. Helen carries 154.
Which has more space per passenger?
S.S. Helen, with 32.5 gross tons per passenger against 30.1 on Avalon Illumination. The higher the figure, the more ship there is for each guest.
Which has more crew per passenger?
S.S. Helen, with one crew member for every 2.7 passengers against one for every 3.5 on Avalon Illumination.
Which is better for families?
Avalon Illumination scores higher for family friendliness in Cruiseable’s Bliss scores: 4.0 out of 10, against 3.0 for S.S. Helen.
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